Bang Up Job
by Laid-Back Brit
Summary: While working at the new bistro in Twilight Town, Sora discovers that cooking food for the public to make a profit isn't exactly as easy as fighting Heartless. One shot. Contains slight spoilers for Kingdom Hearts 3.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

"Okay, I got this! I'm not gonna mess this up! Not again!"

Sora's narrowed blue eyes were filled with determination as he focused on the task he had at hand.

"I can do this! I just know I can!"

It was a task very different to the one the spiky-haired boy was used to doing.

Rather than being armed with his Keyblade to fight off attacking Heartless, he was instead clutching a pan, holding it over a lit stove to fry up the food it was holding.

Sora was in the kitchen of new bistro which Scrooge McDuck had recently opened up at Twilight Town. It had been a little while since the fifteen-year old had offered his services there – something which the money-hungry manager was regretting by now. Not one of Sora's attempts to prepare a quality meal had gone right. Countless orders had been ruined by him, whether he'd used the wrong ingredients or burnt the food over the stove. He had cost Scourge several customers, to whom he had had to offer many apologies before they'd left to spend their cash elsewhere.

"I won't let Scrooge down this time! He's given me one last chance! I'm not gonna screw up!"

Sora kept reminding himself of how successful his final attempt to cook a meal in the bistro was going to go as he kept his focus on the pan he was holding. Using a spatular, he stirred the mean and vegetables that were sizzling away inside. They left a strong aroma in the kitchen that would make one hungry. Tempted as he was to scoff the meal he was making himself, the brunette was eager not to lose one more customer for his boss.

"Scrooge is gonna be so pleased with me! Just wait until he sees how happy the customer is gonna be with this meal! I wouldn't be surprised if he ups my pay! It's about time he gave me my first wages! Heck, I'll beat he'll promote me to head chef!"

Sora was so lost in his confident rambling, he didn't bother to read the label of the bottle he was picking up, about to pour a drop of the liquid inside onto the food.

"Now for a teeny-weeny bit of cook oil, then-"

**KA-BOOM!**

The entire bistro was ripped apart instantly as a huge explosion erupted from the kitchen. Flames billowed through the whole building, bursting out through the glass of every window.

The next thing Sora knew, he was standing in open air with the walls around him and ceiling above him reduced to piles of rubble. His jaw dropped as he gazed at the soot which had covered him from head to feet. The pan was still in his hand, smoke pouring from it as he held it above the broken stove. What had once been tasty-looking food grilling inside it was now charred black shapes that didn't appear the least bit appetising.

Blinking, Sora raised the bottle to take a look at it. His eyes widened in bewilderment when they read on the label that it was not cooking oil, but _regular_ oil.

"Huh? What the heck is regular oil doing in a kitchen?" Sora asked himself. "It's incredible how big of an explosion one drop can cause!"

"SORAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The door of the kitchen flung open – then with no walls to hold it in place, its frame fell around the furious ash-covered duck who was glaring in the boy's direction.

"You've done it now, my boy!"

"Uh…" Sora grinned awkwardly, holding the pan of burnt meat and vegetables out towards Scrooge. "Cooked this food to a well done level?"

"NO! DESTROYED MY BISTRO! YOU'RE FIRED!"

"Aw man!" Sora's shoulders sagged. He scuffed his large shoes on the floor, disappointed he had been given the boot. "And I thought for sure I wasn't gonna screw up this time!"

"Get outta my bistro! What's left of it!"

Okay, but will I still get my first wages? You haven't paid me a single orb since I joined here.

"GET OUT! NOW!"

* * *

"And just like that, he fired me on the spot – the very one where I caused the explosion!"

Sora had returned home to Destiny Islands. He was sat on the edge of the pier on the smaller island. As the sun was sinking beyond the horizon, he had been telling Riku and Kairi what had happened at the bistro that day.

"So Scoorge ain't having me cook for him ever again," he finished gloomily.

"Oh, never mind, Sora," Kairi sympathized. "You're a gifted Keyblade bearer and a born hero. Never forget that."

A grateful smile found its way onto Sora's face. The Princess of Heart knew just what to say to comfort him and make him feel better about himself.

"Thanks, Kairi."

"Just as well – 'cause you ain't cut out to be a chef, Sora!"

"Oh geez!" Sora rolled his eyes, not the least bit impressed by the truth he had been savagely reminded by his other best friend. "Thanks a lot, Riku!"

* * *

**The end.**


End file.
